Mobile First: Changing Consumer Patterns & How to Take Your Brand to the Next Level

January 19, 2017

Marketing

Written by: Zoe Christodoulides

Things are changing fast in the way consumers make purchases today. So fast in fact, that many of us can’t quite believe the way the retail landscape is evolving. Just take Amazon Go as an example; the e-commerce store’s first physical grocery store where you can just pick up your goods and walk out. The most advanced shopping technology can now automatically detect when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. And it’s all down to the Amazon Go app which consumers can download on their smartphones. This, in turn, brings us onto the real star of the show: mobile!

The turn to mobile & the need for an enhanced mobile marketing strategy

Mobile is big business. Central to just about everything we do in our everyday lives, mobile has changed the digital landscape and consumer activity in profound ways as attention shifts from traditional desktops to smartphones. Time spent in mobile apps has grown 90% since 2013 (appboy.com) while the past few years have also seen the rise of ‘mobile only’ audiences. As sited on smartinsights.com, virtually all 18-34 year old Millennials (97%) are mobile users while 20% don’t use desktop at all (based on statistics by ComScore). Businesses these days – and this doesn’t just mean ecommerce businesses – barely have a leg to stand on with just a website; they need a website built for the mobile screen first in order to really compete in today’s mobile driven world. And more than that, they need to make sure they are reaching out to users attached to their mobile devises in the most effective way possible. But how do you best ensure that your brand is properly optimised for the mobile world, beyond just having a mobile optimised site? Here’s a quick glimpse at 5 effective mobile marketing methods to take your brand to the next level, capturing the attention of potential customers on the go while helping to boost sales.

Invest in mobile advertising

Reach your target audience in real time and anywhere via mobile advertising, whether you want them to find out about the latest promotion, product line, or service that your company is offering. Always make your special offers appear first on your mobile site, and it’s a good idea to include an opt-in that allows your users to receive alerts when new offers come up. Display advertising is one of the most powerful ways to build brand awareness while Search advertisements will match the search items (keywords) that a user types into search engine. Remember, people are constantly looking for info on the go these days, so if you show up in the search, you may have just won yourselves a customer. SMS marketing is also an effective way of getting people to read your message – according to Nielsen Mobile studies, 98% of people will read a message when they hear their phone beep!

Make your brand visible on social media

Social media marketing should always be a vital part of any online campaign, but it’s especially important when targeting mobile users. Just think about how often most people check Facebook on their phones per day, and that’s not to mention the growing number of Instagram and Snapchat users. Use ads on social media channels to drive traffic back to your site as mobile users are targeted while on the move.

Be sure your email marketing is mobile friendly

Creative email campaigns can be a very effective way of driving traffic to your site, but do make sure that that your email campaigns are optimised for mobile devices. After all, a huge proportion of internet users these days check their emails on the smartphone and there’s no point putting effort into a campaign or newsletter that’s difficult to read on mobile or just gets sent to trash.

Take your CTAs seriously

If you’ve spent money on mobile advertising, you don’t want to be losing out because of poor or unclear Call to Actions (CTAs). No matter what industry you’re in, you’ve got to make sure that your mobile landing pages are optimized for conversion – you want the user to make that extra click as they buy into the goods or services you offer! First and foremost, make sure your CTAs are large enough to draw attention on mobile, use big bold text or buttons on mobile ads, keep your wording smart and catchy, and place your CTA above the fold to avoid losing customers.

Use location based services (LBS) to get personal

It’s clear that mobile advertising targets internet users on the go, and when you know where they are, you’re even more likely to grab their attention. The most personal form of mobile advertising, location based advertising targets consumers geographically to tap into their needs, encouraging them with offers that make sense to them and that will hopefully entice them. If, for example, you own a restaurant, you can use mobile location based advertising to reach out to mobile users within a 2km radius from you, to encourage them to come and enjoy your special lunch time deal. Get personal, and you’re likely to reap the benefits!